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| Iraq | ||
| Al-Sadr suspends militia activity in Iraq | ||
| 2007-08-29 | ||
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia in order to reorganize the force, an aide said Wednesday. The aide, Sheik Hazim al-Araji, said on Iraqi state television that the goal was to "rehabilitate" the organization, which has reportedly broken into factions, some of which the U.S. maintains are trained and supplied by Iran. "We declare the freezing of the Mahdi Army without exception in order to rehabilitate it in a way that will safeguard its ideological image within a maximum period of six months starting from the day this statement is issued," al-Araji said, reading from a statement by al-Sadr.
A spokesman for al-Sadr, Ahmed al-Shaibani, denied the Mahdi Army was involved in the Karbala fighting.
Tensions have been rising in southern Iraq as rival Shiite groups maneuver for power, especially in the oil-rich area around Basra, Iraq's second-largest city. Sporadic gunbattles raged Wednesday near two shrines protected by the Badr Brigade, the armed wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, although violence was tapering off. Clashes began late Monday but escalated dramatically the following day when gunmen believed from the Mahdi Army began firing on security forces and the Badr guards, according to security officials. A pro-Sadr member of the Karbala city council, Ahmed al-Husseini, blamed the violence on pro-Iranian groups among security forces that guard the Karbala shrines. | ||
| Posted by:ed |
| #11 AAK!! That should read "conserve his troops". |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-08-29 22:51 |
| #10 Sadr's boys and Sistani's militia had a big fight over the religious pilgrimage sites in the past week -- this is Sadr trying to make his militia less visible as a target during the surge. With the Badr Brigade's improved weapons and tactics, the Mahdists are getting squeezed. Add in US strikes against the "splitter factions", and Sadr need to converse his troops and do some regrouping. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-08-29 22:50 |
| #9 An interesting comparison I heard today, but I imagine, if true, will definitely leave the donks with egg on their face. This was from Hannity's radio show, so see if you can follow: "Perky" Couric just announced she's going to Iraq to "report" on the surge, magically just before Petraeus's calling before Congress. Does this seem aligned with Uncle Walter Cronkite's reporting on the Tet Offensive in Vietnam (the timing)? And, subsequently (like the NVA), does Tater see this coming (MSM glory and a smackdown of Petraeus, at least in the press), and announces a 6-month hiatus on attacks, only to "up the ante" just before Petraeus's report and cause some mass-casualty attack (breaking his word of a cease-fire, much like the NVA during Tet and getting "trumped up" reporting a'la Uncle Walt). Just wonder'ins all. |
| Posted by: BA 2007-08-29 22:04 |
| #8 I must profess, I don't understand the 'spell' al-Sadr has on the US and it's plans for Iraq! Either he's being 'groomed' as a heir apparent, or the power he wields is truly being placated. Had all this happened in Israel, his brains would be in his lap by now (ie, Yassin) and he was coming out of a mosque in a wheel chair! |
| Posted by: smn 2007-08-29 16:03 |
| #7 ...operations suspended...for the duration of the Surge. Communists believe in protracted war; Muslims invented it. |
| Posted by: Cluck Lumumba9925 2007-08-29 14:15 |
| #6 Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered a six-month suspension of activities by his Mahdi Army militia Six months from now Sadr and a significant portion of his militia had better be at room temperature. If al-Maliki or Petraeus give Sadr a pass |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-29 12:41 |
| #5 Sadr is useful. His gunnies scare (and wholesale murder) the shit out of the Sunnis. When the Sunnies are pacified, it will be the Madhi Army's turn. I think Sadr has to be one of the most incompetent political and military leaders around. This is why I believe we need to keep him around. I think there's this idea among some Rantburg readers that Sadr is some kind of inspirational leader among Shiites, that if he went away, religious radicalism would collapse. I really doubt that - if that were the case, why do the Badr Brigades, who are biding their time, exist? |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2007-08-29 11:49 |
| #4 Sadr is useful. His gunnies scare (and wholesale murder) the shit out of the Sunnis. When the Sunnies are pacified, it will be the Madhi Army's turn. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-08-29 10:43 |
| #3 Agreed. Only when tater is gone can there be an improvement in that facet of the situation in Iraq... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-08-29 10:38 |
| #2 Funny, how NONE of the "ass-whippings" we have allegedly given have affected its existance in the least. We can feed every piece of cannon-fodder from this thing into a plastics grinder and feed the results to dogs, and as long as al Sadr himself is alive to say "OK, this week I'll peacefully support the political process instead!" he'll just come back next week and start offing people. NONE OF THE PEOPLE HE KILLS GET A CHANCE TO PEACEFULLY PARTAKE OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS EVER AGAIN. BUT EVERY TIME HE TURNS AROUND AND SAYS "I'M PEACEFUL THIS WEEK" HE'S GOTTEN AWAY WITH MURDER. (blah blah bettycrockercrat blah blah...) |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2007-08-29 10:23 |
| #1 Seeme like maybe he read about Confederate General "Grumble" Jones. "When ya know yer gonna get yer ass whupped, the best thing to do is move yer ass". The Mahdi Army has been getting it's ass whupp so it is moving it's ass. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-08-29 09:08 |